The Principal District and Sessions Court on Wednesday issued bailable warrants to seek presence of witness to record their statements in the fake encounter killing of an Imam in 2006.The witnesses to the killing were scheduled to appear before the court on Wednesday for examination, but didn’t appear for unknown reasons.On Oct 4, 2006 Moulvi Shoukat Ahmad Kataria, Imam of Thatar Masjid at Alamgari Bazar in old Srinagar was abducted when he was leaving the Masjid for his residence after leading the Isha prayers. Kataria was abducted by unknown men in uniform and taken to a mountain Gandub at Ajas Bandipora in north Kashmir where he was killed mercilessly and passed as a dreaded militant, Abu Zahid of Karachi Pakistan.An accused ASI Farooq Ahmad Gudoo who was arrested in another fake encounter case of Abdur Rehman Padroo, later revealed during interrogation that no Abu Zahid of Karachi was killed at Gundab, saying it was Moulvi Shoukat Ahmad Kataria of Banihal, who was killed in a fake encounter.
Conspiracy to eliminate Kataria was hatched by another Imam, Muhammad Ashraf Khan of Ganderbal as he wanted to lead prayers in Thatar Masjid and used the men in uniform to clear vacancy for him.Police after registering a case (FIR 4 of 2007) in Zadibal Police station probed the matter and finally submitted chargesheet in the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate Srinagar which committed the case to Principal Sessions Court Srinagar.The investigation in the case prolonged as the Army did not cooperate with the investigating officer.On the directions of Jammu and Kashmir High Court, the Chief judicial Magistrate Srinagar finally handed over the chargesheet against the accused Army men to their court for Court Martial.The police had charge sheeted 11 persons, including five cops and five army men, for the murder. The accused cops, including the then senior superintendent of police Ganderbal, H R Parihar, were arrested and are facing trial in this case.Parihar is also facing trail in court for killing of a carpenter, Abdul Rehman Padder of Larnoo Kokernag. (CNS)